Chair's Message

Welcome to our Board – welcome to our family.

I am truly humbled and privileged to have been selected by my colleagues on this Board of Trustees to serve as Chair of the UCDSB. My primary goal is to fulfill specific duties as outlined in the Education Act.My secondary goal is to promote our public education programs in this large Board and to serve the interest of all students, parents and communities.

To our students: You are the reason we are here. As Trustees, we are accountable for your achievement and well-being. We will do our very best to manage the resources at hand to help each and every one of you succeed, graduate and to be prepared for your future.

To our parents and communities: Every parent and/or guardian wants his/her child to succeed, to grow and be happy on the journey of learning and life. We, too, are parents and want to enhance your confidence in public education in the UCDSB and in your community schools.

To all our employees in schools and offices: Know that your work is valued and that we will provide you with all of the available resources at our disposal to facilitate your tasks.

To our senior staff: We have an important mandate over the next four years. We respect your talents and skills and are committed to collaborating, cooperating, listening and working with you in the fulfillment of our Board Improvement Plan For Student Achievement and Wellness.

Our achievements are rich and varied. Our priorities are clear. And while we are an organization that has our own set of challenges that comes naturally with competing demands for our time, attention, and resources, it is our job to tackle them with the best interests of our students in mind.

I am not looking at our challenges with rose-coloured glasses. They are real. So, too, are the opportunities for addressing them creatively and innovatively.

The Honourable Murray Sinclair has spoken widely and authoritatively about Truth and Reconciliation. I am inspired by his remark: “Education is the means by which we will be able to fix this." By extension, I also believe that education is a shining light illuminating our paths forward on so many other levels.

May the Student Senate logo below inspire us to grow, learn and thrive.